Summer Fete sets new records
Fun and games in the square in September: the egg and spoon race was keenly contested.
This year’s Summer Fete on 1 September was a record-breaking affair. Even though more people than usual were away on holiday after the London 2012 Games, our last big outdoors event of the year raised £2,005, our highest ever Summer Fete total.
The totally addictive Human Fruit Machine made Las Vegas style profits.
The sun shone on Arlington Square. The Whittington Steel Band and strolling accordionist Joe Corbett set a jolly tone. The Human Fruit Machine hooked the gamblers. TV star Dallas Campbell judged the fancy dress competition and some oversized cats, a ladybird and a very happy dinosaur (alligator?) walked away with the prizes.
We browsed and shopped at the different stalls and snapped up the raffle tickets for terrific prizes that were generously donated by local businesses and much appreciated by the lucky winners.
The Arlington bakers surpassed themselves. The cake stall groaned under the weight of home-made sponges, meringues, gingerbread men, flapjacks, biscuits, cupcakes, sausage rolls, chocolate brownies, ginger cakes, banana and raisin cakes, almond cakes and a peach pie concoction. By 4pm there were only crumbs left.
The raffle was hijacked by a couple of suspicious-looking felines.
The children worked off the calories at our own Arlington Olympics. We can help Team GB field some strong athletes if the Olympic Committee ever choose to include sack races, eggs and spoons and tugs of war in the 2016 Games.
Where the money went
Our profits from the Fete bought us more spring bulbs and rose bushes for Arlington Square, which our volunteer gardeners planted in October and November.
But, as always, we also donated some of the proceeds to our adopted good causes. Some of the money has supported our work improving the garden of the Arlington Project, the residential accommodation in Arlington Square for adults with learning difficulties. We also made a donation to the Waterside Youth Club on the Packington estate, and to the Islington Boat Club who are using the money to help develop their Youth Forum. (Young members have already successfully raised funding to set up a pedalo business based in the City Basin. They hope to start hiring out pedalos next summer.)
Many people worked very hard indeed to organise and run the Fete and we sincerely thank everyone who contributed to helping make the day such a successful, enjoyable and profitable event. You can relive the Fete highlights by watching the video on our website. We especially liked the comment from one of our visitors who said: “It’s so nice you don’t have to go to the country for a village fete.” Eat your heart out, Ambridge.